Thursday, November 27, 2008

Lapin Aux Olives

REGULAR readers of this unmissable blog may have noticed that you can now listen to me reading it in an American accent. This, rather than my brizzle tones, must have come about after my trip to Boston and my fascination with all things on the other side of the Atlantic. On the other hand, it may be down to a fantastic piece of software that I was alerted to by Mr Sion "The Bizz" Barry. And very good it is, too.I particularly like the way my American friend says "Wowy, wowy". In fact, so much so that I am going to say "wowy, wowy" again.Apart from that it has been all quiet on the Meeja Wales front this week. The Prince of Darkness has been confined to his coffin this week, which is his way of making the most of his week off. I am reliably informed that the coffin also contains copious bottles of red wine, strong lagers and the odd measure or two of vodka. No doubt he will return to work in a week's time desperate for a rest.Without my partner in journalistic crime it has left me to look after the letters for both the Daily Snail and the Eggo. It has been a monumental task and one I haven't enjoyed one little bit.In fact, with the new hours, and no drinking buddy available by the time I leave work at 8, I have actually taken to driving in to work and home again afterwards. At least it should save some money with the Fat Kid and her mate about to descend on me this weekend.Anyway, this gives me a chance to give you my rabbit with olives recipe. I will be interested to see how my American alter-ego copes with it.

A list of ingredients:One rabbit, hopefully already prepared for cooking1 small onion (coarsely chopped)1 carrot (coarsely chopped)1 celery rib (coarsely chopped)4 garlic cloves (crushed)2 bay leavesa sprig of thyme and leaves from another spriga sprig of rosemary and leaves from another spriga sprig of parsley and leaves from another sprig1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns1 and a half cups of white winesalt and pepperquarter of a cup of flour for dredgingplus 1 tablespoon of flour2 tablespoons of olive oil1 tablespoon of butter1 tablespoon of tomato pureehalf a cup of red wine vinegar2 cups of chicken stockQuarter of a pound of green olives

To do:Prepare your rabbit by combining rabbit, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves and the sprigs of rosemary, thyme and parsley, together with the peppercorns and white wine.marinate this for two hours.Then drain the marinade, saving the liquid and vegetables seperately.Pat the rabbit dry, season with salt and pepper and dredge in quarter of a cup of flour.Heat the oil over high heat in a thick based pan, then when hot add the butter.Brown the rabbit on both sides until golden brown.Remove it from the pot.Add vegetables to the pot and cook on high heat until brown and caramelized.Stir in the tomato paste and the rest of the flour and mix well.Cook for one minute, then add the red wine vinegar and marinating liquid.Cook until liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Then stir in the stock and bring to the boil.Return the rabbit and reduce to a simmer. If you are cooking all the rabbit you will probably need to cook it for about an hour and a half.Then remove the rabbit and set aside, strain the liquid and return to the pot, discarding the vegetables.Return the rabbit and bring to the boil, then stir in the green olives and chopped leaves. Season and serve.I served up my bunny with some lovely mashed potatoes...